I've read all the threads about what the Sox should do to get back to the playoffs in the future (Starting next year of course) and most are totally unrealistic. The Sox will never pay to get the big time free agents and also won't pay and don't have tradeable assets for the Arods or Suzukis that might be available out there. The only reason their payroll is what it is now is because of a keeping and paying players from the Championship and the huge advance ticket sales. Well those are both in the past now.

So how do they get back? Their minor league prospects are average at best and only a few players on the club have any value , Burls ( till July 31), Garland, A.J., Jenks and maybe Denks and Fields.

So the only way is to get lucky like 05, when they got Pod, Gooch, Hermanson, Dye, A.J. ( all affordable), role players that produced, rookies that come down from heaven (Jenks), veterans that have career years (Contreras, Polite), and players that have break out years (Rowand, Crede, Garland).

Can someone catch lightening in a bottle more than once, I hope so.

DumpJerry

06-20-2007, 09:41 PM

Actually, Uncle Jerry slipped an amendment in the collective bargaining agreement this week. It is effective January 1, 2008.

You get paid only for the games your team wins.

Lackadaisical play will be a thing of the past.

Huisj

06-20-2007, 09:49 PM

Not to nitpick, but Rowand really had his breakout year in '04, and then slid back to just being ok in '05. Crede didn't really break out at all in '05 until September and then in the playoffs; as far as a whole season goes, last year was his breakout year (and does that make this year his breakdown year?)

areilly

06-20-2007, 10:26 PM

How to get back to the playoffs? Simple: Inflict serious, season-ending injury on every person on the roster of every MLB team.